Mobile Phones in the Bedroom: Trajectories of Sleep Habits and Subsequent Adolescent Psychosocial Development

Mobile phones are an essential part of an adolescent's life, leading them to text, phone, or message into the night. Longitudinal latent growth models were used to examine relations between changes in adolescent night‐time mobile phone use, changes in sleep behavior, and changes in well‐being (depressed mood, externalizing behavior, self‐esteem, and coping) for 1,101 students (43% male) between 13 and 16 years old. Both night‐time mobile phone use and poor sleep behavior underwent positive linear growth over time. Increased night‐time mobile phone use was directly associated with increased externalizing behavior and decreased self‐esteem and coping. Changes in sleep behavior mediated the relation between early changes in night‐time mobile phone use and later increases in depressed mood and externalizing behavior and later declines in self‐esteem and coping.     

Evaluating the impact of dyslexia laws on the identification of specific learning disability and dyslexia

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that impacts word reading accuracy and/or reading fluency. Over half of the states in the USA have passed legislation intended to promote better identification of individuals with dyslexia. To date, no study has been conducted to investigate the potential impact of state laws on the identification of specific learning disability (SLD), and limited data has been presented on the rate at which students in public school settings are identified with dyslexia. The first aim of the current study was to determine if any detectable changes in the identification rates of SLD have occurred in states implementing dyslexia laws because most states do not report number of students identified as dyslexic but rather those students identified with an SLD. The second aim of the study was to characterize the rate of identifying dyslexia in the two states (Texas and Arkansas) that require public schools to report the number of students identified with dyslexia. The third aim was to characterize the identification rate across first to 12th grades. Current SLD rates range from 3.2 to 8.5% in all 50 states. Analysis of SLD prevalence rates did not vary between states with and without dyslexia laws in place. Moreover, there was no change in the identification of SLD once states had implemented these laws. Rates of dyslexia in Arkansas and Texas were less than 5%. Given the persistent levels indicating lack of reading proficiency, our review of data suggests that overall students with dyslexia are being underidentified.     

The effect of deloading tape on medial gastrocnemius muscle fascicle behaviour during dynamic exercise

This study examined the effect of diamond deloading tape on medial gastrocnemius (MG) muscle behaviour during exercise in healthy adults (n = 27). A randomised cross-over trial assessed the effect of tape (no-tape, sham-tape and deload-tape) on ankle and MG fascicle kinematics during three heel raise-lower exercises [double leg (DL), single leg (SL) and loaded single leg (LSL)]. There was no effect of tape on standing fascicle length (FL) or pennation angle (PA), or ankle or knee joint angle. There was a significant effect of tape on ankle kinematics for all exercises. Both the deload-tape and sham-tape resulted in less ankle plantar flexion but had no effect on dorsiflexion. There was a significant effect of tape on FL change for the SL and LSL exercise. Compared to no-tape, the deload-tape resulted in less fascicle shortening during ankle plantar flexion, and more fascicle lengthening during ankle dorsiflexion. For the LSL exercise, deload-tape caused MG fascicles to operate at longer lengths, for a given joint angle. Diamond taping, with or without added tension, has only a small effect on ankle and MG fascicle kinematics during the heel raise-lower exercise. With the exception of the LSL exercise, both tape conditions resulted in similar changes in the FL-angle relations.     

The effect of surface geometry on soccer ball trajectories

Two different measurement techniques are used to examine the effect of surface geometry on soccer ball trajectories. Five professional players are observed using high-speed video when taking curling free kicks with four different soccer balls. The input conditions are measured and the average launch velocity and spin are found to be approximately 24 m/s and 106 rad/s. It is found that the players can apply more spin (~50%) on average to one ball, which has a slightly rougher surface than the other balls. The trajectories for the same four balls fired at various velocities and spin rates across a sports hall using a bespoke firing device are captured using high-speed video cameras, and their drag and lift coefficients estimated. Balls with more panels are found to experience a higher lift coefficient. The drag coefficient results show a large amount of scatter, and it is difficult to distinguish between the balls. Using the results in a trajectory prediction programme it is found that increasing the number of panels from 14 to 32 can significantly alter the final position of a 20 m-curling free kick by up to 1 m.     

Reflections on Progress towards a World Class Education System

In May 1999 it will be 2 years since this government was elected. The vision underlying policies introduced since that time is described in terms of the need to create a world class education system. The paper describes seven characteristics that contribute to such a system and the key policies through which these can be realised. Reflections on what has been achieved so far, what has been learned and future directions are provided     

Clicker evolution: seeking intelligent design

Note from the Editor     

A Preschool Pilot Study of Connecting with Others: Lessons for Teaching Social and Emotional Competence

Social-emotional learning in early childhood sets the stage for students’ future behaviors in schools. The current study examined the effects of a social-emotional skills curriculum on the behavior of students in an early childhood program. The children received instruction in social and emotional skills using the Connecting with Others: Lessons for Teaching Social and Emotional Competence program. Pre-test and post-test scores for the BASC-2 Rating Scale and the Connecting with Others Rating Scale were used to determine if the children demonstrated progress in their behaviors by the end of the intervention. The results indicated that the social skills curriculum Connecting with Others: Lessons for Teaching Social and Emotional Competence was associated with positive changes in the children’s behaviors.     

国外体育赞助成功案例分析及其启示

采用文献资料法、访谈法及案例法对体育赞助的概念、功能及基本内容进行了分析,在此基础上提出了国内体育赞助存在的问题,并对国外体育赞助三大成功案例的运营进行了深入剖析,以期对我国体育赞助的运作给以启示。